The erosion of the welfare state : swedish social policy and the EU.

This article's concern is to examine the extent to which the welfare state of a recent member of the EU - Sweden - is perceived to have changed and how Sweden has tried to influence aspects of EU social policy.

The material on which tne analysis is based consists of literature on the EU since the onset of Sweden's membership (1995-1998) and interviews carried out with Swedish MEPs in Strasbourg and a range of « policy-makers » in Stocklom early in 1998.

The article begins with an account of Sweden's decision to join the EU, followed by a section on the Swedish welfare state and the perceived impact of becoming a member of the EU, and another on the impact on EU social policy of Swedish participation.

In conclusion it is suggested that the EU has contributed to the erosion of the Swedish welfare state.

This process is likely to continue, albeit at a slow pace, largely as a result of the EU's economic imperative which continues to overshadow and dominate the social.